Data Publication on DED-Arc Retrofitting of Steel Beams: Design, Manufacturing and Mechanical Performance

The wire-arc process (DED-Arc) enables metal-based additive manufacturing with high deposition rates and robot-assisted flexibility, thereby offering significant potential for the targeted reinforcement of existing steel structures. This publication provides data of the examination of a hybrid construction method in which standard IPE-200 beams are retrofitted to achieve the bending stiffness of a larger IPE-220 section. Two optimized DED-Arc variants and a conventionally welded reference part were fabricated using a collaborative robotic system.The fabrication process included real-time monitoring of electrical parameters as well as subsequent mobile 3D scanning to compare the actual geometries with the digital models and confirm a high degree of geometric conformity. The mechanical properties were determined using quasi-static tensile tests.